Work sheet 1

Site Assessment: Protecting Water Quality Around Your Home

Assessment 1

Physical characteristics of your homesite

This assessment table is similar to the assessment tables in other modules in the Missouri Home-A-Syst series. For each question, three choices are given that describe situations or activities that could lead to high, medium and low risks to human or environmental health.

Do the best you can. For some questions, your well-drilling records or local well drillers may be able to help. Some choices may not be exactly like your situation, so choose the response that best fits. Mark your risk level (low, medium or high) in the right-hand column. Refer to the guide if you need more information to complete the table. If no choice is applicable, leave that item blank.

Physical characteristics of your homesite

Low risk

Medium risk

High risk

Your risk

Soil type and risks to lakes, rivers wetlands, or other surface water from runoff.

Sand/gravel (large particles)

Silt/loam (mid-size particles)

Clay (very tiny particles)

Low

Medium

High

Soil type and risks to groundwater from infiltration

Clay (very tiny particles)

Silt/loam (mid-size particles)

Sand/gravel (large particles)

Low

Medium

High

Soil depth

Deep (over 12 feet)

Moderately deep (3 to 12 feet)

Shallow (less than 3 feet)

Low

Medium

High

Bedrock

Solid, not permeable or fractured

Solid limestone or sandstone

Fractured bedrock, any kind

Low

Medium

High

Depth to water table

Over 20 feet

10 to 20 feet

Less than 10 feet

Low

Medium

High

Nearness of home to surface water

Over 100 feet

25 to 100 feet

Less than 25 feet

Low

Medium

High

Responding to risks

Do not depend solely on the physical characteristics of your soil, bedrock or other site features to protect water quality. You must take informed steps to prevent pollution. Although you can't change your soil type or the depth to bedrock, you can compensate for less-than-ideal conditions by choosing home management practices that are better for preventing environmental problems. Note especially the medium and high risks you identified. Keep them in mind as you complete your homesite map and work on other work sheets in this program.

Assessment 2

Creating a map of your homesite

The instructions for this exercise, along with a sample and graph paper for you to use, can be found in the fact sheet that accompanies this work sheet.

This guide prepared by Steve Mellis, Water Quality Associate, MU Extension. Adapted from a work sheet by Alyson McCann, University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension.

The Missouri Home-A-Syst series was produced with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture and was adapted for use in Missouri from the National Farm-A-Syst/Home-A-Syst Program in Cooperation with the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Services (NRAES).